Tramway for hoisting and dumping apparatus



3 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. BRUCE 8v H. O. MARCUS.

- TRAMWAY FOR HOISTING AND DUMPING APPARATUS.

No. 551,745. Patented Dec. 1'7, 1895.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES. INVENTOHS (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. BRUCE & H. O. MAROUS. TRAMWAY FOR HOISTING AND DUMPING APPARATUS.

No. 551,745. Patented Dec. 1'7, 1895.

ANDREW EGRAHAM. PHOTO-LITKQWASHI NGTON'. E10

Q J 3 sheets sheet 3. J. BRUCE 8v H. C. MARCUS.

Patented Dec. 17'; 1895.

INVENTOBS ANDREW EGRANAM. PHOTO-HMO. WASHINGI'OILDL.

(No Model.)

TRAMWAY FOR HOISTING AND DUMPING APPARATUS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN BRUCE AND HENRY C. MARCUS, OF ASPEN, COLORADO.

TRAlVlWAY FOR HOISTING AND DUMPING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551 ,745, dated December 17, 1895.

Application filed December 4, 1894. Serial No. 530,790. (No model.)

invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of our invention is to construct a tramway provided with devices by which the bucket or vessel carrying the materials hoisted from a mine or any other place and to be transported will attach to a tram-car. This tram-car will transport the bucket or vessel to the dumping place. Here the bucket will disengage from the tram-car, turn over and dump its contents, then by hoisting the bucket back to a standing position it will again attach to the tram-car and return to the head of the tramway, to be lowered to the place for refilling.

Our tramway is simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive.- All the work, except the hoisting and lowering of the bucket, is performed automatically.

Our invention consists in the construction of our tramway, and it also consists in details of construction and combinations of parts, all-as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the shaft of a mine, the gallows-frame, and the tramwaysupports, exposing a side elevation of the tramway proper. Fig. 2 is a top view of the tramway. Fig. 3 is a top view. Fig. at is a side elevation. Fig. 5 is an end elevation, and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section, of the tram-car. Fig. 7 is a side elevation. Fig. 8 is a top view, and Fig. 9 is a front elevation, of the tilting plate. Fig. 10 is a top view of the turn-table, and Fig. 11 is avertical section of the same. Fig. 12 is a top view of the stop-plate. Fig. 13 is a side elevation of the same.

The frame A is an ordinary mine gallowsframe supporting the sheave a. The hoisting-rope 0 extends from the drum of a hoisting-engine over the sheave a of the gallowsframe and supports and operates the bucket B. The trestles A A A A support the trackt'. 6., the inclined stringers D and the track-rails E.

F is the tram-car. U is the tilting plate. is the turntable, and S is the stop-plate.

The tram-car F is a four-wheeled truck; The truck-platform f has at its center an oblong opening or slot f Through this slotf extends the bucket-supporting rope O. Said slot f must be wide enough to admit the bearing-cone Q, which is attached to the rope C. The lugs f of the truck-platform prevent the jaws I from sliding sidewise beyond the center of the platform f. The beveled projections f at each end of the truck-platform serve to guide the catch K and form a notch or catching place for the said catch K.

The standards f support the sheave or roller M. They are placed so that the bearing circumference of the sheave M will be perpendicular over the center of the slot f in order that the rope C may travel at or near the center of the said slot. The plates f prevent the jaws I from moving vertically. The flanges f are seats for the springs P, which actuate the jaws I. The two flanges f at the bottom of the truck platform f serve to strengthen the said platform.

The two jaws I are strong flat bars. Their ends are provided with the bevel z, and the sides facing each other when the jaws I are in their proper places have a recess The bevels 2' form a flaring opening for receiving the pointed ends of the catch K, and the recesses i form a channel oropening for the rope O. The jaws I are placed on the truckplatform f, as shown in Fig. 3, and they are held in their proper positions by the projections f the lugs f, and the plates The jaws are actuated by the springs P. hen the said jaws are forced apart by the catch K, the channel formed by the recess 6 will admit the bearing-cone Q of the rope 0. As soon as the catch K is disengaged from the jaws I, they will be forced together by the springs P, so that the lower or bearing side of the cone Q will engage the top side of the Y jaws I, and thus the bucket B is carried and transported by the tram-car down the in clined track to the place of dumping.

The tilting plate U is riveted to the axle a This axle revolves in the j onrnal-boxes it. The tilting plate is supported by the stringers D, and these stringers D are fastened to the trestles A and A". The tilting plate U is provided with a slit 1.1. with a flaring inou th it. The chain m fastened to the bottom of the bucket B will. enter the slit 7b of the tilting plate, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 9, and as soon as the bucket 1- takes its seat on the tilt ing plate U, this will tilt and the contents of the bucket will be dumped. During the operation of dumping the bottom of the bucket B is connected or held to the tilting platform U by the plate Q which is attached to the bucket 13 by the chain m. The block D will prevent the tilting plate U from tilting more than is necessary. The tilting plate is balanced so that it will always remain in a horizontal position when not in contact with the bucket B.

The head of the tramway, which is perpendicularly over the shaft, is provided with a turn-table T. This turn-table T is mounted upon and supported by the flange o of the casting or plate T, and T is fastened to the gallows-frame of the mine-shaft. The flange 0 has a rounded top, in order to reduce friction, and it forms the inner semicircular edge or side of the plate T. This edge or ilange o is formed by a radius from the center of the turn-table T. The plate or casting T is provided with the flange 0 and the brackets 0. The center of the turn-table T is perpendicnlarly over the center of the mine-shaft, and it is provided with a segmental opening or slit t, which extends somewhat beyond the center of the table T, in order that the rope C may extend through this opening 15. The said opening 25 must be wide enough to admit the bearing-cone Q. The turn-table T is furthermore provided with the standards i,which support the defiection-sheave R, the inclined rails t and the car-stop If. The catch K is attached to the top of the turn-table T by the stand i. The stand t attaches the lever L to the bottom of the turn-table. The outer edge or rim maybe geared, as indicated in Fig. 10, so that the operation of turning the turn-table may be performed, with the proper leverage or gearing, from the foot of the gallowsframe or from the hoisting-engine, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 10. To prevent the turn-table T from tilting it bears also 011 the plates (1, which are supported by the stringers D.

The lever L is forked, and the space between the forks or prongs is located perpendicularly under the openingt of the turntable T, and the said space is wide enough to admit the passage of the bearing-cone Q. The lever L is pivoted to the stand i and it is connected to the catch K by the rod Z. This rod Z extends through an opening in the turn-table and is provided with a stop-collar Z and aspring TV. It is pivoted to the lever L and to the catch K. The stop-collar Z and the spring W serve to hold the lever L and the catch K in their proper positions. catch K is provided with a pointed head 1.: and a hook It.

In hoisting the bucket 13 from the mine, the plate Q,which is attached to the chain m immediately above the bail of the bucket B, will engage the lever L and lift it. This liftin g is communicated to the catch K by means of the rod 7, and will disengage the catch K from the jaws I and also unhook the tramcar. The bucket B, being now supported by the tram'car F, is ready to be transported to the dumping place.

The stop-plate S is placed on the track perpendicularly over the tilting plate U. It is provided with the flanges s, which form a stop for the wheels of the tram-car F. The stop-platc S is solidly fastened to the rails E or the stringers 1). Its function is to stop the train-car F and to furnish a support for the stand i of the lever L and the stand 1/ of the catch K. The lever L and the catch K and their attachments are constructed like those connected with the turn-table T. The plate Q is fastened to the bottom of the bucket 1-3 by means of the short chain on. The bail of the bucket is fastened to the plate Q, and the chain m attaches the plate Q to the bearingcone Q, which is fastened to the hoisting-rope C. The chain m is somewhat longer than the space intervening the lever L and the top of the jaws I of the tram-car F. The plate Q must be large enough to prevent its passing between the prongs of the forked lever L.

The turn-table T of our tramway may be connected with several tracks all radiating from a common center-to wit, the center of the turn-table-as shown in Fig. 2. By turning the table until its rails I? register with the rails on any one of said tracks the car can be run oif to any of the dumps to which said tracks lead.

The operation of our tramway is as follows: hen the tram-car F is placed on the turntable T, so that the catch K is attached to the notch f, the jaws I are spread, the rope 0 travels between the sheaves. or rollers R and M, and extends through the channel formed by the jaws I, the slot f 0f the truck-platform f, the opening t of the turn-table T and the space between the prongs of the forked lever L. In hoisting the bucket I when the bearing-cone Q reaches a point somewhat above the jaws I of the tram-car, the plate Q will engage the lever L and lift it. This will disengage the catch K from the jaws I, which will be closed up by the springs P, thus forming a bearing for the cone Q-i. a, the bucket Bis attached to the tram-car F. In slackening the rope C, the tram-car F will travel down the inclined track to the stop-plate S at the dumping place. At the moment the tram-car F is stopped, the catch K will engage the jaws I The and release the bearing-cone Q, and furthermore attach or hook the tram-car to they stopplate, the chain 'm at the bottom of the bucket B having entered the slit to of the tilting plate U. The further slackening of the rope 0 allows the bucket to reach the-tilting plate U, tilt over and to assume the position shown in Fig. 1, and dump its contents. During the operation of dumping the bottom of the bucket B is connected or held to the tilting plate U by means of the chain 7% and the plate Q In hoisting the bucket B it will disengage from the tilting plate U, and again attach to the tram-car F and return to the turntable T at the head of the tramway, to be lowered for refilling.

Having described our invention, what we claim is 1. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus, the combination with a series of tracks, of a turntable provided with a radial slot, the standards t, the sheave R journaled therein, the inclined rails t the stop block 75 the uprights i and the hanger 25 a catch K pivoted in the uprights t and having a pointed head k and hook is, the leverL hinged to the hanger t and having a forked end straddling the slot 6, the

rod Z pivoted at one end to the catch K and at the other to the lever L and passing through the turn table, the spring WV encircling said rod below the turntable, the bucket 13, the hoisting rope 0 attached thereto, having a plate Q below the lever L, and adapted to run in contact with the sheave R, the cone Q attached to said rope and adapted to pass through the slot t, and a tram car on the rails provided with automatic catches for receiving and supporting the cone a, substantially as described.

2. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus, the combination with two or more inclined tracks, of a turntable having a radial slot, and a peripheral rim or flange, an annular segmental track for supporting saidflange, a catch or pawl attached to said table, a tripping lever pivoted to said table, and a rod connecting said catch and lever, the end of the lever lying in line with the radial slot in the table, so as to be adjacent to a hoisting cable passing through said slot, substantiallyas described. 3. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus, a car having a slot for the hoisting cable to pass through, a lug at each end of said slot, a projection at each end of the car, two bars lying between said projections, one 011 each side of the slot, having their adjacent sides cut away along the middle, and receiving the lugs in said cut-away opening, and springs forcing the bars toward each other, substantially as described.

at. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus,the combination with a car having a slot for the hoisting cable to pass through, a bar on each side of the slot, having each end beveled off on the inside, springs at each end of said bars to hold them yieldingly together, and a lug at each end of the car. adjacent to the ends of said bars, of a stationary arrow-headed catch at each end of the car track, adapted to force apart said bars at the same time it engages with the lug, substantially as described.

5. In a hoisting and dumping apparatus,the combination with a traveling bucket, having a plate Q attached to its bottom by a short chain, of a plate mounted on trunnions and containing a slit to receive said chain, said slit extending beyond the axis of the trunnions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN BRUCE. HENRY C. MARCUS. itnesses J. J. YEoKEL, SAMUEL SELDEN. 

